“Scent-sational” Holidays

The smell of mulled cider simmering on the stove, the scent of pine emanating from the tree and the clovey- citrus aroma of a fresh pomander are just a few of the scents that come to mind when I think of the holidays.

Some studies show that scent may be our strongest scent: “Although we might miss being able to smell pleasant things, it certainly does not appear to be a critical component of our survival as a species.The sense of smell was probably the first sense to evolve in a living creature. In many animal species, smell can play a critical role in finding a mate, communicating with other animals or helping them to survive by finding food.“

So what does this have to do with keeping on track during the holidays?

Quite a bit!

If you’re coming from the mindset that if you were to avoid drinking eggnog and eating holiday cookies that you’d somehow be depriving yourself of certain nostalgic parts of what makes the season special, consider that scent may actually elicit stronger memories than taste.

Combine that with an even, balanced blood sugar level, courtesy of True Paleo, and you’ve got the perfect recipe to get in the seasonal mood without the cost of extra calories coming from poor sources.

Test it out for yourself: stick your nose in your Christmas tree and inhale deeply.  Focus on nothing but your breath and how lovely the scent is and see if that doesn’t bring back lovely memories of years gone by.